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T. W. PITTS. PNEUMATIC RAILWAY.

Patented June 12 Int/swan: @433 N PETERS. Pbaxu-Lmo n hur, Washington,a. c.

UNTTED STATES A'TeNT rrien.

THOMAS XV. PITTS, OF \VOLSEY, DAKOTA TERRITORY.

PNEUMATIC RAlLWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,333, dated June 12,1888.

Application filed October 11, 1857. Serial No. 252,001.

To all whom it um concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. PITTs, of Wolsey, in the county of Beadleand Territory of Dakota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pneumatic Railways, of which the followingis adescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming apart of this specification, in whieh- Figure 1 is a vertical sectionalview of a pneumatic tube, showing my improved cars therein and acompression-blower connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view ofa portion of said tube in horizontal section,

showing a switch therein and a car upon said switch. Fig. 3 is anendview of said tube,showing a rear view of a car therein; and Fig. 4 isalongitudinal vertical sectional view of a portion of said tube,enlarged, and showing a side view of a car therein.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the different figures.

My invention relates to pneumatic railways; and my object is to soconstruct a. railway-car, in connection with a pneumatic tube, that aseries of cars may be propelled in different parts of the tube at thesame time, and that one or more of said cars may be stopped or impededin velocity without changing the velocity of the air-currents in thetube orthe movement of the other cars.

A further object is to provide suitable switches whereby said cars maypass each other, if desired, and receive or unload passen gers orfreight, preferably without permitting the escape of air from the tube.

To this end my invention consists in the combination of elementshereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a pneumatic tube, preferably constructedof cast-iron and provided with tracks a a therein for the reception of arailway-carriage, B.

G representsacompression engine or blower, of which I purpose to employat stated inter vals, in proportion to the length of the tube, as manyas are necessary to maintain the desired pressure. The tube should beenough larger in diameter than the size of the car, as shown in thedrawings, to permit the air to freely pass around and by said car, as Ido not depend upon the direct action of the air (No model.)

upon the surface of the car to propel it, for in that event butasinglecarcould be actuated by means of a given blast of air, and, when soactuated, it would be impracticable to impede the movement of or stopthe same without arresting the air-current.

Mounted in the rear of the car, upon a shaft, D, which is journaled insuitable bearings, (Z- (Z, Fig. 4, is a fan, E, preferably ofa diameterlarger than that of the car. Keyedloosely to the shaft D, so as topermitof a longitudinal movement therein, is a bevel-gear, d, Fig. 4,which is arranged to engage a corresponding gear, 12, upon a verticalshaft, F, connected with the axle G by means of gears f f. A lever, H,pivoted at it upon a bracket, 11, is in turn connected with a slidingclutch, J, which serves to throw the gears (2 (Z in and outof cn-,gagement, as desired. A rod, J, connects the lever H with acorresponding lever, K, upon the front of the car, from which positionthe car-wheels in the usual way to control their movement.

In order to permit the ears to pass each other at stations, if desired,as well as to discharge passengers or freight without permitting the airto escape, I enlarge the tube, as shown at M, Fig. 2, and provide one ormore sliding doors, M, whereby access may be had to a car upon arrivingat astation. Upon the sides atthe respective ends of the car are formedlateral projections N N, Figs. 3 and 4, the edges of which are curved toform the are of a circle having the same radius as that of the tube, asshown in Fig. 3. At each station I provide a switch, 0, the tracks ofwhich are so placed opposite the opening M as to cause the flanges N Nto [it the side of the tube upon the respective sides of the door. Theentrance to the car being through doors 1? P, Fig. 4-, in the side,persons may pass in and out while shielded from the air, which isprevented by the flanges N N from escaping, and is caused to pass by thecar upon the main line of the tube.

It is obvious that either the exhaust or compression principle, or both,may be applied either by means of blowers or in. any wellknown way toproduce a current in the tube.

Aside from the fact that a number of cars may be propelled in differentparts of the tube by the same current, afurthcr advantage exists in thefact that a greater power may be exerted by means of the fan forpropelling the car over grades.

Having thus described claim- 1. The combination, with a pneumatic tubeand means, as a compressing-engine, for producing a current of airtherein, of'a ear and a fan mounted upon one end of said car and inoperative connection with the car-axle, sub stantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The combination, with apneumatic tube and means, as a blower orcompression-eugine, for producing a current of air therein, of a car, afan mounted thereon and in operative connection with the car-axle, andmeans, asalever and clutch, for throwing said fan out ofgear,substantially as shown and described.

my invention, I

3. The combination, with a pneumatic tube, of means for inducing acurrent of air therein, a railway-track, a lateral offset or enlargementwithin the tube, a switch located within said offset, doors in the sideof the tube, and a railway-car provided with curved flanges at therespective ends, whereby said flanges may conform to the side of thetubewhen opposite to the doors,substantiallyas shown and described.

4. The combination of the car B, flanges N N, tube A, and aswitch placedsufficiently near to the outside of the tube to permit the said flangesto touch said tube when opposite to the doors of the station,substantially as shown and described.

THOMAS WV. PITTS.

\Vitnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, J. B. HALPENNY.

